1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering gearbox mounting structure detachable from a body of a vehicle upon a collision of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general vehicles, structures for absorbing impact energy generated upon a head-on collision of a vehicle by crush of parts at a crushable zone of the vehicle are known. During the crush of the parts at the crushable zone, the structure is designed to allow an engine arranged at the front of the vehicle to backwardly move and hit a steering gearbox behind the engine. In this operation, if the steering gearbox strongly fixed to the body interferes with the backward movement of the engine, a sufficient impact absorbing stroke cannot be provided. This may prevent impact energy from being efficiently absorbed.
Another technology for providing the impact absorbing stroke in consideration of the presence of the steering gearbox is also known as a steering gearbox mounting structure (for example, see Japanese laid-open patent application publication No. 9-136651 (paragraphs 0015 to 0018, FIGS. 6 and 7). The steering gearbox mounting structure includes an arm downwardly extending from a steering gearbox fixed to a vehicle body and a rod forwardly extending from a lower end of the arm and fixed to the side frame.
However, this steering gearbox mounting structure has difficulty in providing a mounting space used for connecting a side frame at the side of the vehicle body to a steering gearbox with the arm and the rod. Further, a steering device used with this structure has difficulty in mounting operation thereof and complexity in structure thereof.